“It will be great if India finds a way to have these 3” – Venkatesh Prasad bats for Dube, SKY and Rinku's place in 2024 T20 World Cup lineup

Former India cricketer Venkatesh Prasad backed Shivam Dube, Suryakumar Yadav and Rinku Singh to make it to India’s playing XI at the forthcoming T20 World Cup 2024. The global tournament will take place in the USA and the West Indies this year.

Keeping the three players’ skills in focus, Prasad stated that if India managed to have them in the playing XI, alongside senior and experienced players like skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, it would prove to be beneficial for the team as a whole.

Taking to his X (formerly Twitter) account, Prasad stated:

“Shivam Dube for his striking ability against spinners, Surya for being the best T20 international batter and Rinku Singh for his exceptional finishing ability. It will be great if India finds a way to have these 3 in the 11 in the T20 WC. With Virat and Rohit, this will leave spot for just a keeper batsman. Interesting to see how it pans out.”

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Shivam Dube, Suryakumar Yadav and Rinku Singh ply their trade at IPL 2024

Representing the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Dube has been phenomenal with the bat this season. He is currently the leading run-scorer for the Men in Yellow, having scored 148 runs in the first four games of the tournament at an average of 49.33.

Suryakumar Yadav returned to the Mumbai Indians (MI) camp after an injury break. Having missed the first three games for the side, he played MI’s fourth game of the IPL 2024 but was dismissed for a two-ball duck.

Nonetheless, he’s currently the No. 1 T20I batter in the ICC rankings and has put up match-winning performances for Team India and his IPL franchise over time. His ability to handle pressure in crunch situations in the shortest format of the game has helped the Indian team on several occasions.

Rinku Singh made his T20I debut in August 2023 after a prolific IPL season. He showcased his batting prowess brilliantly in his most recent T20I match against Afghanistan. The 26-year-old’s ability to score runs at the death and finish games while chasing in crunch situations have been commendable.

The three players would be aiming to put up consistent performances for their respective franchises throughout the tournament and make a place for themselves in India’s World Cup squad.